Residents like Lorraine Carter, a senior renter, discussed fears that the community still faces the threat of property crimes and gunfire. The management office was broken into over the New Year's holiday; Thieves heisted computers during the burglary, sparking fresh concerns that 2010 is off to a rocky start, Williams writes.

Among the challenges in the community are deepening divisions between homeowners and renters. The latter group includes families that receive subsidies.

"We've got to find a way to bring the homeowners and the subsidized housing renters into some kind of governance and information sharing," Barry said. "That's my desire."